Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Cuts Stock Position in First Advantage Co. $FA

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors reduced its First Advantage stake by 4.4% in the first quarter, selling 96,296 shares and retaining 2.10 million shares worth approximately $24.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.91% of the company.
• First Advantage reported quarterly EPS of $0.26, exceeding analysts’ $0.21 estimate, while revenue increased 8.6% year over year. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $0.74.
• Shares opened at $20.56, near the company’s 12-month high of $22.78. Despite several analysts raising price targets, the consensus rating remains “Hold” with an average target price of $19.00.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lowered its position in First Advantage Co. (NYSE:FA - Free Report) by 4.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,099,921 shares of the company's stock after selling 96,296 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.22% of First Advantage worth $24,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in First Advantage during the 4th quarter valued at about $257,000. BloombergSen Inc. boosted its holdings in First Advantage by 41.6% in the fourth quarter. BloombergSen Inc. now owns 377,216 shares of the company's stock worth $5,481,000 after acquiring an additional 110,892 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in First Advantage by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,098,714 shares of the company's stock worth $132,204,000 after acquiring an additional 780,200 shares in the last quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of First Advantage by 60.3% during the fourth quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 253,661 shares of the company's stock worth $3,686,000 after acquiring an additional 95,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new stake in shares of First Advantage during the first quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors own 94.91% of the company's stock.

First Advantage Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FA opened at $20.56 on Thursday. First Advantage Co. has a twelve month low of $8.82 and a twelve month high of $22.78. The company has a current ratio of 3.85, a quick ratio of 3.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company has a market cap of $3.53 billion, a PE ratio of 685.33 and a beta of 1.17. The company's 50 day moving average is $18.54 and its 200 day moving average is $14.56.

First Advantage (NYSE:FA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.05. First Advantage had a net margin of 0.65% and a return on equity of 13.16%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.17 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that First Advantage Co. will post 0.74 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at First Advantage

In other First Advantage news, Director James Lindsey Clark sold 4,921 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.69, for a total value of $77,210.49. Following the sale, the director directly owned 56,844 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $891,882.36. This represents a 7.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $18.00 target price on shares of First Advantage in a research note on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of First Advantage from $17.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday. Barclays upped their target price on First Advantage from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on First Advantage from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $19.00.

About First Advantage

First Advantage is a global provider of background screening, identity verification and workforce risk management solutions. The company delivers a comprehensive suite of services that help employers verify candidate credentials, manage regulatory compliance and mitigate risk throughout the employee lifecycle. Its platform is built to integrate with leading human capital management and applicant tracking systems, enabling a seamless and scalable experience for organizations of all sizes.

The company's core offerings include pre-employment and continuous background screening, digital identity verification, drug and health testing, and ongoing employee monitoring.

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